With the advance of Internet and Big data, a user can receive targeted electronic information when they engage in certain activities, with the targeted electronic information generated based on both an activity the user is engaging in, as well as a history of activities the user has engaged in. For example, a web server that hosts an e-commerce website may, after detecting that a user is browsing the site, transmit electronic advertisement information to the user based on the user's shopping history. For example, if based on the user's shopping history, the web server determines that the user has been buying a certain category of products, the web server may transmit electronic advertisement information related to that category of products to the user, after detecting that the user is browsing the web page that displays that category of products.
A conventional system typically provides information that is tailored in conformance with the history of activities of the user as well as a current activity of the user. Using the example above, the web server typically does not transmit electronic advertisement information related to a category of products that the user has never purchased before, nor will it transmit information that is unrelated to an activity the user is not engaging in. As an illustrative example, if the web server determines that the user has been purchasing Indian food, while the web server may transmit electronic advertisement information related to products related to Indian food (e.g., Indian clothing, Indian magazine, etc.), under the current technologies it is unlikely that the web server would transmit information related to, for example, American toys. Also, if the web server determines that the user is browsing a page that displays Indian foods, it is also unlikely that the web server would transmit information related to American toys.
The inventors here have recognized several technical problems with such conventional systems. First, by focusing only a certain user's activity history and tailoring the information accordingly, the range of information provided can be too narrow, and the user may miss out on information that may be of interest (or useful). Using the example above, it may be that a user who has a long history of purchasing Indian food may also be interested in other ethnic foods, but it is unlikely that the user will receive such information from the conventional systems. As another example, there may be a strong interest among other users about a particular product not related to Indian food, but it is also unlikely that the user will receive information about the particular product, even if that particular product may be of interest or useful to the user.
Second, the range of information provided by the conventional systems can also be too narrow for creating diverse user experience, if the information is provided based only on a user's current activity. For example, if every user who visits a website that sells toys only receives information (e.g., promotion offer) about toys, but not information that may bring their attention to other sets of products or activities, the system may only succeed in maintaining or promoting these users' interests in the toys, but not other products or activities.